


in half bloom

by indemnis



Series: in half bloom [2]
Category: K-pop, Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Affectionate Insults, Coming Out, Confusion, Crushes, Enemies, Enemies to Lovers, Gen, Insults, Jealousy, M/M, Possessive Behavior, Sexuality, Sexuality Crisis, jooheon and minhyuk are exes but jooheon doesn't show up he's just mentioned, minhyuk and hoseok have had minor crushes on shownu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-13
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-11-17 09:11:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11272416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indemnis/pseuds/indemnis
Summary: Minhyuk kind of really hates Hoseok because he keeps trying to be Hyunwoo's best friend but Minhyuk is Hyunwoo's best friend and he won't tolerate being overtaken by some boy who has silver hair and blue highlights and looks like some dude on the cover of Men's Health. He's officially from Hell.





	in half bloom

**Author's Note:**

> note: a few curses and name-calling, some not very nice

Okay, so Shin Hoseok may or may not be the one nemesis he ever needs in his life. You know, like how the heroes in films need an evil counterpart, there’s Shin Hoseok for him.

Don’t tell Minhyuk that he’s being irrational, because he’s _very_ convinced that Hoseok is secretly an agent from Hell, set on dragging them both down into his fiery pit. It happens whenever Hoseok says something mean about his hair, makes crude comments about his suitors, laughs at him whenever he tries hard to do _anything_.

He’s a massive piece of shit, and Minhyuk hates him, and he wouldn’t be around this asshole if it wasn’t for Hyunwoo, who is all in all a wonderful, lovely, caring friend, who most certainly never takes his side. Hoseok must have put him under a spell, along with most of the people around him, because surely no one would think him a decent human being and be friends with him.

“Dumbass.” Hoseok is holding a bowl of pasta and plopping himself on the seat opposite Hyunwoo, tipping his chin at Minhyuk.

“Idiot.” Minhyuk retaliates, and they’ve successfully greeted each other for the day.

Hyunwoo is munching on his sandwich, silent as usual, and sometimes Minhyuk thinks he enjoys the conflict, the way they continue to bicker with each other till one of them is tired out from sheer anger.

Minhyuk notes the way Hoseok picks at his pasta, looking listless, like something heavy is on his mind. He’s been doing that for a couple of days now, and Minhyuk feels a strange emotion bubbling in his chest, and it spills out, in the only acceptable form towards Hoseok.

He kicks his shin (no pun intended) from underneath the table, and Hoseok yowls, holding his knee against his chest and he stares at his leg as a swell blossoms, and he whips his head to glare at Minhyuk.

“What in the world is your problem?”

“You looked like you were going to fall into your bowl. I was just trying to save you from having carbonara hair.” Minhyuk huffs, like he’s just done him a huge favour that isn’t being reciprocated. Hoseok falls silent, rubbing at the sore on his shin as Minhyuk looks at how he’s gulping, swallowing, clearly upset about something.

If anything, the kick had been enough to prompt the emotionally dense Hyunwoo to direct his attention to Hoseok. Hyunwoo doesn’t realise it, but sometimes he’s just the communication channel for which Minhyuk funnels the things he wants to ask Hoseok but doesn’t dare to, because of his pride.

“Are you okay? You look a little out of it.”

“Hmm?” Hoseok looks up from digging the heel of his palm into the swell, and Hyunwoo is staring, his eyes boring holes into Hoseok’s face. “No, I’m fine.” Hoseok’s cheeks are flushed, his gaze wavering, and he forces himself to look more intently at his injury, as if that would heal it quicker.

Minhyuk purses his lips, knowing something smells fishy, but he and Hoseok—they’re not really involved in the way where he gets to ask him what’s up with his life, find out what’s bothering him, check on him and makes sure he’s okay.

Minhyuk scoffs at himself, almost laughing at how he’s showing _concern_ for the older boy, as if he _deserves_ concern, as if he doesn’t hate every last bone in his body. The scoff comes out of his lips as a condescending sneer, coupled with a disgusted wrinkle of the nose. Hoseok would normally comment on how ugly that makes him look, and Minhyuk would retaliate with insults about Hoseok’s humongous nose, say something horrible about his face that girls seem to fawn over so much. _Yuck._

But Hoseok is exceptionally closed up today, and Minhyuk wants to know. It’s not so much concern as much as it is pure curiosity, and Minhyuk’s the kind of guy that won’t leave anything unanswered lying around.

“What’s up with you today?”

Hoseok looks at him, disdain written all over his face. “What do you mean?”

Minhyuk is flailing his arms, trying to be more articulate, trying to play it casual, trying to not tell Hoseok that he knows something is bothering him, because he’s spent one too many moments staring at him and observing him.

“You’re less snarky.”

Hoseok scoffs. “That’s a bad thing?”

“You’re not giving me any fodder to rebuke you with.”

Hoseok puts his foot down on the ground and picks up his fork. “Maybe I just don’t feel like it?”

“Yeah, and that’s what I’m saying—you’re acting weird. It’s not like you to not want to fight.”

Hoseok picks at a strand of linguine. “And you know me the best, right?”

And Minhyuk doesn’t know what to say, because he thinks he has successfully analysed every bit and piece of Shin Hoseok—for the purpose of attacking him with it, of course—but now that the question’s being thrown to him, he doesn’t know what to say.

“If you don’t want to answer, so be it. I don’t care.” Minhyuk returns to his rice and stuffs his cheeks full, his ears turning red. Hyunwoo is calm, as usual, and doesn’t think much of their argument. Sometimes his ignorance can be such a blessing.

They part ways to go to their classes and Minhyuk cannot shake the image of Hoseok staring at his food blankly, small worries gnawing at the back of his mind. Minhyuk doesn’t remember when he has started to be this emotionally invested in Shin Hoseok, but it always comes full circle: he just wants to know his weaknesses so he can use it against him.

Minhyuk tells that to himself again and again, and hopes that one day he’ll learn to believe it, because an excuse he struggles to convince himself of is easier than placing an emotion he doesn’t recognise into a box and coming to terms with it.

*****

“So, where are you enrolling?” Minhyuk asks over lunch, Hyunwoo wolfing down his food in a hurry; it doesn’t help that he’s spent the whole day attending to old ladies who can’t find where the pasta section is, or children who have resolved to ruin his day by hiding toys at the back of the shelf, behind the soft drinks.

The look of amusement on Minhyuk’s face when Hyunwoo pulled out a gigantic Spongebob Squarepants plushie behind the Coke Zero section—a toy of that size couldn’t possibly have fit into that little space, but somehow did—had driven Hyunwoo up the wall and he had asked for an early lunch.

Working in Target kind of freaking sucks. He wishes he could work in a pet shop as a receptionist like Minhyuk does, just sitting and chilling and playing with dogs all day, but he’s never been meticulous enough like Minhyuk to keep tabs of documents and receipts and accounts and which poodle was Mrs. Jung’s and which labrador was Ms. Lee’s. Maybe hard labour and carrying boxes and pulling out toys from unwanted spaces like a magician is more fitted for Hyunwoo.

He swallows a large chunk of rice and tells Minhyuk he’s looking to enrol in Dance and Performance Arts, and if he’s not good enough, maybe Nutritional and Health Sciences. Minhyuk waves him off and tells him he’s more than good enough to major in Dance, and if they decide to reject him (which they won’t) it would be their loss.

Hyunwoo grins and says thanks, tells Minhyuk that he had attended orientation for the course and really liked what they had to offer, Minhyuk nodding his head in reply. He was going to attend the same university as Hyunwoo, but dancing had always been Hyunwoo’s thing. He thinks it’s a close call between Visual Arts and Literature, but he’s leaning closer to Visual Arts, only because it’s more hands-on.

“I met a guy at the course orientation. Name’s Hoseok. He’s kind of cool. Heard he did a little bit of dancing with a crew and did a few performances. Pretty impressive, eh? Bet you his CV is better than mine by a mile.”

Minhyuk frowns at the mention of the unfamiliar name, putting up imaginary fences as Hyunwoo describes him as a silver-haired boy with blue highlights, pretty good-looking, has a good bod, a few girls who had been interested in the course had giggled as he walked by. He would say he doesn’t recognise the hostility, but he does, because Minhyuk, throughout the twenty years of his life, has never had a better friend than Hyunwoo.

It may have been that he loves people and is extremely extroverted and cheerful, and while his acquaintances have piled up, his close friend count is up to a miserable one. He doesn’t understand why it should be the case, but other people seemed to mingle well with their other friends, friends that didn’t include Minhyuk, and he often found himself stuck in the middle of a group of close friends who shared inside jokes that he didn’t understand.

It may have been that Minhyuk had been what they considered as an ‘elite’ student, and when he had moved to the smaller village from his big city school, they thought he was way too advanced to be in a class with children of his own age, and his parents had happily placed him in a class with older boys who already had their own friends and didn’t bother with puny little Minhyuk who was a whole head shorter than the lot of them.

Hyunwoo came as a pleasant surprise, a quiet boy in the corner of the room, dozing off whenever the teacher as much as mentioned an equation or a quote, never interacting much with anyone else, contented with coming to and leaving school and barely talking to the few people who bother speaking to him.

He had been intrigued, and wanted to make friends. He wanted to know how the boy managed to play it so cool and be alright with having few to no friends, and didn’t feel miserable about it.

“Um, hi?” Minhyuk had a carton of milk in one hand and a bread in the other, Hyunwoo snapping out of his trance, gaze lingering on Minhyuk’s food before even landing on his face.

“Hi.”

“I’m—uh, Minhyuk?”

“Is that a question?”

The forehead of young Minhyuk creases ever so slightly, not sure if he meant it seriously or as a joke, but his stoic expression says he probably isn’t one to joke around too much. Minhyuk looks around and grabs the chair in front of his table and plops himself onto it.

“It’s not a question. I’m Minhyuk. Lee Minhyuk. The question was just because I was gauging your reaction to see if it’s okay to introduce myself?”

Hyunwoo shrugs. “Why wouldn’t it be okay? I’m Son Hyunwoo.”

Minhyuk chuckles. “I know. Um, I… I thought I wasn’t going to have lunch so I bought some stuff from the cafeteria, but my mum came a few hours ago and brought me my packed lunch. I have some food here and was wondering if you wanted it? You looked like you were really hungry when you ate your lunch.”

Hyunwoo’s eyes are twinkling, but the words are stuck at his throat and Minhyuk can tell he’s hesitating, trying to go through all the possible social norms and codes and considering if it’s rude to just eat someone else’s food, especially since they’ve met for the first time.

“It’s okay to eat it. Like I said, I have my own food. This is just extra. I’ll end up bringing it home and it’ll sit around in some corner anyway. You can have it, if you want it.”

Hyunwoo, in this very moment, tries to calculate the possibility that Minhyuk’s a psychic from the way he can tell he really wants the food, but doesn’t actually say it.

Minhyuk tells him a few years later that it’s because Hyunwoo is an open book, and he wears his emotions on his sleeve. Minhyuk doesn’t tell him that it’s because he’s grown so accustomed to sticking around people who may or may not welcome his presence, and he’s grown an acute sense of recognising people’s emotions from their tiniest gestures and the slightest twitch of their nose.

So when Hyunwoo mentions the new guy Hoseok, tells him which high school Hoseok attended, tells him what Hoseok plans to be doing with the degree, tells him how Hoseok had done some dancing in the atrium where they played music and he’s really good, Minhyuk grows annoyed at this boy with blue highlights that he’s never even seen before.

He doesn’t want to lose Hyunwoo to the new guy, not to any new guy. He’s spent so many years finding a friend who listens to his complaints, gives lousy suggestions and advice, is sensible enough to know what he’s doing and doesn’t need Minhyuk to clean up after him, is fun sometimes and horribly awkward in a funny way. Hyunwoo is someone Minhyuk isn’t, and he likes being polar opposites, because Hyunwoo fills up the spaces Minhyuk cannot fill, and Minhyuk makes up for the downsides in Hyunwoo’s character.

He soldiers through lunch and tries not to show any of the hostility that’s brewing within him, not that Hyunwoo would know a sarcastic bite even if it clamped its teeth onto his flesh, and waves goodbye to Hyunwoo when his half hour is up, the older boy returns to directing old ladies to the pasta section and pulling toys out from soft drink shelves.

Minhyuk returns home feeling like a bad friend, knowing that his anger towards the new guy is uncalled for, and he should be happy the socially awkward Hyunwoo is getting to know people other than him. But it’s the lack of confidence in Minhyuk that spurs an elaborate situation in which ‘Hoseok’ turns out to be the better friend, and maybe Hyunwoo realises that he could do with someone less talkative, less whiny, less bratty, a friend who shares his interests in dancing, who would spend more time with him because they share the same classes.

Minhyuk goes to sleep, dreaming of a time where he would be satisfied with who he is and that people around him would like him for who he is.

*****

Minhyuk’s palms are sweating because Hyunwoo has just texted to say that it’s their first day of classes at university and Hoseok doesn’t know anyone; is it okay if he joins us for lunch?

Minhyuk doesn’t know how to justify his jealousy and possessiveness to Hyunwoo who would fail to understand everything he’s trying to say without looking at him like he’s a bad friend (which he’s convinced he is, anyway), so he says okay.

He regrets it immediately when Hyunwoo walks over with a boy with silver hair, blue highlights, tall, slim but his shoulders are wide and his upper body looks like an inverted triangle, the kind of body you would find on the cover of Men’s Health. Minhyuk chews on the bottom of his lip and takes another sip of his banana milk, willing to disappear.

“Oh, there he is. Minhyuk-ah!”

Minhyuk wishes the ground would swallow him whole. He breathes shallow, pulling his lips in a tight line. “H-hey.”

“Hoseok, this is my friend Minhyuk. Minhyuk, Hoseok.”

“Hello.” Hoseok says, stretching out an arm and an open hand, and Minhyuk takes it, notes how warm Hoseok is, and says hello back politely, but secretly he wants to rip his handsome face apart. Hoseok is saying something to Hyunwoo he can’t hear because the voices at the back of his mind echo nasty things and he’s trying so desperately to block them out.

“Minhyuk?”

“Um, huh? Yeah?”

“You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m okay.”

“Just wondering if you wanted to get something to eat.”

“Um, yeah, but I’m lazy to move.”

Hyunwoo laughs. “I’ll go get something to eat and buy you something to munch on. Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Hoseok, you? Food?”

Hoseok shakes his head, pulls out a container of chicken breast and broccoli and puts it on the table. “I’m going to use the microwave.”

Hoseok and Hyunwoo leave together, Hoseok stalking towards the microwave section as Hyunwoo aims straight for the food stores, his eyes taking in the variety of food and he looks like he might just buy everything they have to offer.

Hoseok returns shortly, earlier than Hyunwoo does, and he slots himself in the seat next to Minhyuk, a little too close for comfort, but Minhyuk doesn’t say anything, just continues sipping on his drink. “So, um, Hyunwoo said you major in Visual Arts?”

Minhyuk almost scowls, then realises it’s not becoming of him, and he would be acting like a child if he did. “Yeah, I do.”

“What do you think of it so far?” Hoseok is pouring barbeque sauce on his lean pieces of meat and Minhyuk tries to not wrinkle his nose at the healthy meal.

“It’s okay, I guess.”

“O...kay?”

“Yeah, it’s fine.”

“Cool.”

Hoseok and him share a few more awkward moments of silence where Minhyuk contemplates the possibility of listening to the voices in his head and the best locations to hide a dead body, when Hoseok speaks up again.

“Say, do you not like me?”

Minhyuk raises a single eyebrow. “What gave you the impression?” Doesn’t know if it’s a sarcastic poke, but Hoseok narrows his eyes ever so slightly.

“Hyunwoo said you were very talkative. Even warned me against bringing up stuff you might be interested in, or I would ‘be overwhelmed by the speed he spits words out every minute’.”

Minhyuk almost laughs, because that’s true in every sense of that phrase, and it does sound like something Hyunwoo would warn someone else against, Hyunwoo a character that’s easily worn out by how much Minhyuk manages to talk on a daily basis.

But he holds his laughter back, because he wants to show Hoseok who’s boss (hint: it’s not Hoseok), and he can’t afford to find Hyunwoo funny right now.

“Well, I’m not really in the talking mood today.”

“So it’s not something against me?”

“Didn’t say it was, didn’t say it wasn’t.”

“We’ve literally met two minutes ago; what could you possibly already dislike about me?”

“I don’t know, there’re just some kinds of people you dislike without needing a reason to, don’t you think? Not that I’m saying you’re one of them.”

“Can it be that you have a crush on Hyunwoo?”

Minhyuk is this close to spitting his drink out, but he holds himself together and forces it back down his throat. “What?” he screeches, and Hoseok just chuckles.

“I guess not, then. I don’t mean any harm; I mean, I like girls. If it bothers you, just letting you know.”

Minhyuk frowns, looking as Hoseok returns to his bland meal, wondering if that’s the kind of impression he leaves on other people—that he has a potential crush on Hyunwoo.

Hyunwoo returns timely, dropping a tray that’s piled into a heap and passes a single sandwich Minhyuk’s way.

“You bought all this stuff and Minhyuk gets a sandwich?” Hoseok asks, and Hyunwoo shrugs.

“He likes egg sandwich, doesn’t eat much over lunch, prefers to have a heavy breakfast and dinner. He’ll be alright.”

Minhyuk thinks he might burn up from how brightly he’s beaming, so proud that Hyunwoo knows him so well, could recite his dietary habits in his sleep, proving that he’s obviously his best friend, and that Hoseok doesn’t stand a chance.

Hoseok just smiles in response and nods, not continuing to probe, Minhyuk feeling full of himself and settles more snugly in his seat, and Hoseok is saying something about the new professor in one of their classes, Hyunwoo making grunts in agreement, and then it happens.

Hoseok’s elbow nudges against the bottle of barbeque sauce and it tips, falls from the side of the table and the uncapped bottle spills its content on Minhyuk, everything seemed to have gone into slow motion, Hoseok’s slow reflexes, Minhyuk’s face of shock, Hyunwoo’s stunted reaction.

It all comes crashing down when there’s a large blotch of sauce on Minhyuk, the liquid barely seeping through his shirt with how viscous it is, but with how cold it is, it raises goosebumps on Minhyuk’s belly.

He shudders and he is close to exploding, so, so close, but the shock has rendered him speechless. There are eyes on their small group of three and realising that it’s just a spill, they’ve all returned to their food, exchanging giggles at Minhyuk looking like he’s just fallen into a puddle of mud. Hoseok’s eyes are wide, desperate, he’s muttering apologies and scrambling to grab serviettes and dabbing them helplessly at the liquid, scooping blobs of sauce from Minhyuk’s lap.

Minhyuk doesn’t want to cause a scene, but his jeans are new and the shirt is his favourite one, and now he might be better off just flushing them down the drain. He’s so close to just screaming in Hoseok’s face and he knows Hoseok won’t have anything to say to it because he deserves it, but he notes the presence of other students in the cafeteria and instead chooses to ball his hands into fists under the table.

“Jesus, I’m so sorry, Minhyuk.”

Hyunwoo is uncharacteristically observant as he looks at the fire blazing behind Minhyuk’s eyes, knowing how he’s about to blow in everyone’s face. “Minhyuk? Are you okay? It’s an accident. I know the jeans are new; I’ll buy you a new pair.”

Minhyuk officially loses it. “Why do _you_ have to buy it when _it_ was the one that ruined it?” He points accusingly at Hoseok, who is guilty, but will not stand for Minhyuk referring to him as an inanimate object.

“Hey, I’m sorry.”

“And I’m sure a ‘sorry’ solves every single problem in whole damn world!”

“And I’ll buy you new jeans.”

“And I’m sure money solves every single problem in the whole damn world, according to you, yeah?”

“What the hell do you want, Minhyuk? I said sorry, I said I was going to replace your jeans for you. There’s only so much I can do.”

“Maybe start by being less fucking snarky considering you just ruined my first day of university?”

“You called me an ‘ _it_ ’. That’s not very nice, is it?”

“I’m not a child, I can call you names if I want to, you life-ruining, impolite, hideous stupid asshat.”

Minhyuk is a bit of a melodramatic and believes strongly in having the last say, so he storms off, dripping sauce as he does, ready to just be really furious in the male bathroom while smelling like barbeque sauce and then sobbing in the corner at how he’s officially the laughingstock of the cafeteria on the first day.

Hyunwoo says he’ll handle him and looks forlornly at his heap of food, which Hoseok promises he’ll pack up for him and bring it with him to their next class, before Hyunwoo chases after Minhyuk who’s reduced to a puddle of sauce and tears near the basin in the bathroom.

*****

“Play nice, Minhyuk. Please, for me.”

“I hate the guy. I don’t want to do this.”

“He’s my classmate and a friend. We’ll end up seeing each other a lot more as the semester progresses. I just want you guys to get along; you don’t have to be chummy or anything, okay?”

“If he as much as brings up the sauce incident—”

“I told him not to. You’re allowed to walk away if he does.”

Minhyuk, as usual, is easily appeased by Hyunwoo, who knows his little ticks and pet peeves all too well, almost silently manipulating him with the things he would say or do. Hyunwoo’s a snake, but he lets Minhyuk think he has the upper hand whenever he uses him to do things he wouldn’t normally do. It’s quite entertaining to see Minhyuk all smug when Hyunwoo sees through him in three seconds, but it’s okay. Minhyuk is funny and he likes him a lot.

“Hoseok.”

“Oh, Hyunwoo!” Hoseok’s voice is high-pitched, eyes sparkling, and his face dims when he sees Minhyuk trudging along behind. “Minhyuk.”

“Asshole.” Minhyuk greets him, and Hoseok’s expression is a mix of frustration, anger, and amusement. Minhyuk is a surprisingly entertaining person when he’s all riled up, like a puppy that never got his snack and sits in a corner huffing loudly.

“Well, good day to you too.” Hoseok replies with a pinch in his tone and Minhyuk glares at him before Hyunwoo swats at Hoseok and shoves a pack of strawberry milk in front of Minhyuk.

The rest of lunch goes by awkwardly, the two never engaging in direct conversation, Minhyuk throwing daggers his way with how he stares intently at Hoseok wolfing down his food, not concealing any part of his disgust at his prep meal and sucking on his straw intensely, making sounds when his milk is all finished.

When Hyunwoo leaves to put his tray away, Hoseok narrows his eyes as he wipes some sauce from the side of his lip, noting the way Minhyuk flinches, and he guffaws.

“You’re an asshole.”

Hoseok shrugs. “And so I’ve been told by you twenty-five minutes ago.”

Minhyuk scowls, Hoseok chirps and tells him it’s not a flattering look, Minhyuk mixes a few expletives and calls Hoseok a busybody, at which Hoseok retaliates with another insult about his face just because. It wasn’t that he disliked Minhyuk or anything—on the contrary, he actually thinks he’s a really nice person and he’s interesting and undoubtedly a good friend to Hyunwoo.

He just really enjoys seeing Minhyuk’s face go red and his blush extending to his ears as his cheeks puff up and the gears in his head are spinning frantically for a better comeback. He remembers how Hyunwoo had told him on an occasion that Minhyuk reads him like an open book, so much so that it’s creepy.

Hoseok likes to think Minhyuk is a book with a hard cover, holding delicate pages in them, every page an interesting short story on its own, and Hoseok likes deciphering the motifs in the stories, likes imagining scenes in which Minhyuk is the protagonist of every story, sometimes a cowardly and frightened mouse, other times a gutsy and determined young prince.

So Hoseok keeps it up, really liking the way Minhyuk gets huffy about something menial he’s said or done. Hoseok sometimes worries if his insults are too much, but Minhyuk somehow already thinks he’s too much anyway, so he continues, breathes a sigh of relief whenever Minhyuk comes back with a weak punchline, because at least it’s still banter, and banter was what Hoseok was looking for anyway, when he decided to cement his position as Minhyuk’s Most Hated Person™.

Sometimes his jokes are too far and Minhyuk would turn silent, the kind that makes fear creep up and he struggles to say something—anything—to sweep it off as a joke, but as his Archnemesis™, he’s not really supposed to _fix_ anything, so he lets it slide, and as expected, Minhyuk turns up hours later, giving him dirty looks while throwing a haphazard insult his way, and he can breathe again.

*****

“Thanks Hoseok.” Hyunwoo says quietly one day, as they’re walking out from their History of Dance lecture, heading towards the vending machines for Hyunwoo to pick out a bag of chips.

Hoseok looks up from his phone and looks as Hyunwoo is staring intently at his shoes, left foot, right foot, left foot, right.

“For?”

“Putting up with Minhyuk. I know you and him don’t really get along all that well, but thanks for always bothering to talk to him. I wouldn’t—” he scratches the back of his head, “I wouldn’t know what to do if I had to choose between the both of you. He can be a little mean sometimes with his words, but I know you don’t mind.”

Hoseok smiles, feels a swell in his heart when Hyunwoo says that, and tries his best to push down a sigh. “It’s okay. I think it’s fun.”

Hyunwoo’s eyebrows furrow in confusion. “You don’t hate him?”

Hoseok laughs. “God, no. He’s funny. It’s entertaining to see him get really angry.”

Hyunwoo ponders this for a good ten seconds, then the tension between his brows relaxes, and he snorts. “You’re a weird one, you know.”

Hoseok rolls his eyes. “And I’m assuming you think neither of us know how much you enjoy our arguments, so much so that you never butt in to stop us.”

Silence. Hoseok guffaws, almost chokes on his own breath as darkness looms over Hyunwoo’s face in guilt, the younger boy putting a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’m sure Minhyuk knows already anyway.”

Hyunwoo stutters, but his already stunted speaking skills are stretched in times of pressure, and Hoseok is doubled over in laughter, Hyunwoo trying his best to keep a straight face.

“At least I think the both of us feel good in knowing that we’re the only source of entertainment in your horribly mundane life.”

Hyunwoo glares, zero hostility. “Wow. Minhyuk _was_ right, you _are_ an asshole.”

“Hello, I don’t need you to stab me in my back right now, alright?”

Hyunwoo finally laughs, stuffing his hands into the depths of his pockets and pulling out a handful of coins. “Shoot. I need another ten cents.”

“I’ve got some coins.” Hoseok offers, pulling out his wallet and poking through his coin compartment. He’s not normally one to be easily distracted, but the words that come tumbling out from Hyunwoo’s lips in the next few seconds has him scattering coins over the ground, a few of them rolling underneath the vending machine.

“Oh, um, by the way. I’m gay.”

Hyunwoo says this like he’s telling Hoseok they should have pizza in the evening, and today should be his cheat day, even though Hoseok has had his cheat day on Tuesday when he had polished off two large bowls of ramen.

“Oh,” is Hoseok’s reply as Hyunwoo bends down to pick up the coins from under the vending machine, and Hoseok is not normally one to be easily distracted, but he is staring at Hyunwoo’s ass for too long an amount of time, and he curses under his breath.

*****

It’s a troubling thought, to think about Hyunwoo being gay. It wasn’t anything bad, not about Hyunwoo at least. It was more of the fact that Hoseok never really spared a thought about the number of times he’s caught Hyunwoo dancing, his slick moves so fluid and dynamic, or the times where he genuinely relishes Hyunwoo’s company when they have classes, where Minhyuk isn’t there.

He’s never considered that Hyunwoo may be available in _that kind of way_ , and even more terrifyingly so, how _he_ could be available in _that kind of way too_. He’s always thought of himself as a bit of a Casanova; girls like him and he likes girls? What’s not to like?

But Hyunwoo is sweating buckets as they’re practising their new choreography in front of his face, beads of perspiration rolling down the side of his face, and it dawns upon Hoseok that he _might_ be gay, and it is overwhelming.

Overwhelming Possible Fact Two: he might or might not have a crush on his best friend (Minhyuk would slaughter him for the choice of word).

He ducks out of the class feigning a stomach ache, and tries to remember what it’s like to doubt his interests—interests that he was so certain of just a few days ago, but maybe it was there all along, waiting for something to lure it out of him.

It’s fricking terrifying.

Hoseok pales at the thought of possibly falling in love with Hyunwoo, of accidentally spilling the beans and confessing his possible feelings over a drinking session, of said possible feelings being unreciprocated and rejected vehemently, and never being friends with Hyunwoo, ever again.

The subject is clearly Hyunwoo and potentially throwing their friendship into pits of fire, but somehow Minhyuk’s face surfaces, fair skin blonde hair and all, throwing vicious stares and glaring so hard it should hurt, instead Hoseok just sticks out a tongue in response.

If he stops being friends with Hyunwoo, does he then stop being frenemies with Minhyuk?

He doesn’t understand why the idea makes his heart stop for a second, but he promises to never drink with Hyunwoo, not if he can ever help it.

*****

“You’re doing it again,” Minhyuk states, when Hyunwoo has gone to put his tray away, undoubtedly on the search for dessert.

Hoseok jolts from his trance. “Doing what?”

“Staring into blank space,” Minhyuk sniffs, averts his gaze. He doesn’t care.

Hoseok shrugs. How long has it been since they’ve had a normal conversation without either of them pointing accusingly at the other and calling each other names? Long enough, it seems. “Just thinking.”

Minhyuk does that face again, where all his facial parts crumple together into one, voice condescending. “Well, well, what do you know? Seems that miracles _do_ happen after all!”

Hoseok has spent the whole of last night tossing and turning in his sleep and doesn’t have the energy to reply Minhyuk’s sharp insult, so he just waves him off with a nonchalant arm and munches on the rest of his food quietly.

It’s not his prep meal because Hoseok stress eats, and Hyunwoo had expressed his concerns only because he has a part in their choreography where he shows off his abs. Hoseok officially does not give two shits, and right now he’s stuffing his face with a chocolate muffin.

Minhyuk frowns at Hoseok’s lacklustre response, and props his elbows on the table, setting his chin in his palms.

“You’re acting weird.”

Hoseok blinks, focussing on his high-calorie treat. Silence.

“Something’s bothering you.”

Hoseok rolls his eyes. “Oh yay, all hail the psychic.”

Minhyuk huffs at the sarcasm but doesn’t come back with a rebuttal. Instead he snaps his fingers in front of Hoseok and forces the older boy to look at him.

“What’s up?” Minhyuk asks, and for a moment Hoseok is fooled into thinking that they were actual friends, friends like how Hoseok and Hyunwoo are, friends that may stop being friends the minute Hoseok decides to be a blabbermouth. The realisation comes along as a foul whip in his face, and Hoseok is angry. Mostly at himself.

“Since when do you care?” His voice hard and steely, much like his gaze, and Minhyuk backs off.

“Hey, forget it if you don’t want to share. You don’t have to be a dick.”

“Shocking, considering the fact that you’re the one who asked the question.” Hoseok is fuming suddenly, and he doesn’t know why. Minhyuk’s face just riles him up, the unanswered question of his sexuality and whether or not he has a crush on Hyunwoo eating his insides.

More than anything, he doesn’t know why he doesn’t want to see Minhyuk right now, almost like he’ll say something silly, and while he’s normally used to the harsh rebuttals that come ricocheting his way, he just doesn’t feel up to it. He feels sick. He needs to stop seeing Minhyuk.

The gnawing sensation grows when Minhyuk is shooting him a look of disbelief, a flash of what can only be concern in his eyes, and he feels like screaming at his pretty face and confessing that he’s probably gay, simultaneously.

It tumbles out in an angry fit of incoherent splutters, where Hoseok is trying to say “you’re such a dickwad” and “I’m probably gay” that he says “you’re such a probably dick gay”. And then Minhyuk stills, eyes widening, reflexes frozen in place, and Hoseok chokes on air.

“What?”

Hoseok barely remembers what he’s just said and then Minhyuk is narrowing his eyes. “What did you just say?”

“I mean I—”

Minhyuk breathes. “Did Hyunwoo tell you?”

Hoseok frowns. “About?”

Rolls his eyes, almost rolls them to the back of his head. “Me being a _probably dick gay_.”

“Wait.” Hoseok creases his forehead. “You’re gay?” He shouldn’t screech, because that would be unbecoming of him, but he screeches, and the girls from the table next to them whip their heads to look at them, muttering something under their breaths.

“Thanks for the public announcement, dickhead.”

“Wow.” Is all Hoseok says as he’s come to the realisation that his current two closest friends are gay, and wonders how he claims himself to be _anyone’s_ close friend when he doesn’t know any of this, one year into their friendship.

Then he starts to wonder if gays gravitate towards each other, because this is too much of a coincidence, and Minhyuk is still kind of staring.

“What?” Minhyuk asks, a little curt, eyes still gauging Hoseok’s reaction, almost like he’s waiting for some explosion, some angry outburst, some sort of dissociation, but nothing. Hoseok just returns to his ‘deep thinking’, cheeks stuffed with muffin, seriously poring over something. Minhyuk hates being out of the loop.

“How…” Hoseok’s voice is a whisper. “How did you know?”

Minhyuk hikes up an eyebrow, but his ears are turning red, a slight flush that’s creeping to his neck as he tries his best to look like he isn’t flustered by the question, but Hoseok is not letting go, still looking at him expectantly. “Why do you care?” He asks, nervous and Hoseok looks like he might drill a hole through his face by the way he’s staring at him.

“Just.” Hoseok shrugs.

Minhyuk clears his throat. “It’s dumb.”

“Wouldn’t expect anything else from you.”

Minhyuk almost throws his empty bottle at Hoseok who just pulls his lips into a tight line as he looks away, desperate to keep up his image, trying his best to not grab Minhyuk by the collar and force the answer out of him, because he’s so lost and clueless and he could really use the help.

“I, um. Um.” Minhyuk straightens his shirt for no reason whatsoever, and Hoseok helps by looking away, staring aimlessly at the litter of people near the stores, ears perked up. “Um. I had a crush on Hyunwoo. Ah. It’s—it’s dumb. I told you.”

Hoseok falls silent, and Minhyuk wants to ask why he’s even bothering with these questions, but Minhyuk is someone who catches on things really quickly anyway, so it takes him a total of ten seconds before he utters an ‘oh!’ at which Hoseok just sighs and pushes the rest of the muffin into his already full mouth.

“Do you—” Minhyuk starts, but he doesn’t really know how to continue. Rubs at the back of his neck and struggles to make the words come out. “Are you still finding out?”

Hoseok nods, just slightly, and Minhyuk feels his heart sinking, because he knows this phase all too well, the phase where he had avoided Hyunwoo at all costs, no more throwing his arm over his shoulder, no more cute little acts to get Hyunwoo to buy him lunch.

He was so afraid of his own feelings that he thought the only way to ward them off was to run away, and it wasn’t really until Hyunwoo had called him out and sat him down and they talked, and Minhyuk confesses of being possibly gay, of possibly liking Hyunwoo, at which Hyunwoo just laughed.

Laughed and said that he, too, was gay, but he’s pretty sure Minhyuk doesn’t like him in that way. Minhyuk had protected his feelings vehemently, ironically, and told Hyunwoo he wouldn’t know, and that he shouldn’t answer for him.

Hyunwoo had shrugged and chuckled, like it was just another inside joke like those kids shared between themselves, leaving Minhyuk on the sidelines, gazing forlornly from the outside. “What is it that I don’t know that you do?” He asks, defensive, because it’s _his own feelings_ , surely he would understand them better than Hyunwoo knows them?

Then four months later he meets Jooheon who is two years his junior, and falls so hard for him that he doesn’t even remember that he had used to crush on Hyunwoo. He doesn’t doubt what he feels, _knows_ the thumps of his heart as infatuation, understands the wave of affection welling up whenever he sees the younger boy as love. He had went on to a relationship with Jooheon that lasted for two years before they drifted apart.

Maybe Hoseok just needs someone like that for him, someone to cement his feelings, someone who isn’t just a silly crush that he develops in question of his sexuality.

Minhyuk doesn’t stop himself from relaying said information, and Hoseok feels like he might be able to breathe after hearing Minhyuk’s story, his experience frighteningly similar to what he’s feeling right now. Maybe he’s right. Maybe Hoseok just needs to find someone who’ll tell him for sure. Maybe it’s Hyunwoo. Maybe it’s not. Maybe he should just accept it for what it is now and worry about things when they come.

Hyunwoo is back when Hoseok is still thinking about what Minhyuk is saying, the boy spinning his empty bottle on the table and looking like he’s in deep thought himself, perhaps a little surprised that he and Hoseok can actually hold a civilised conversation for a good period of time without lashing out at each other.

Hyunwoo returns with dessert, as expected, and Hoseok looks up as Hyunwoo smiles, feels a soft thump against his chest when Hyunwoo offers him a cheese tart, at which he refuses politely, and is suddenly made aware that he has to reveal his abs in days and here he is, gorging on chocolate muffins.

When they leave, Hoseok drops a packet of gummy bears into Minhyuk’s bag as a form of thanks, and if anyone asks, it’s because he’s back on his protein diet.

*****

Minhyuk is really angry. He recognises it, even if he doesn’t understand it, the sensation a ball of flames rising to his chest and his throat and he’s so close to spitting fire in the form of some very harsh words.

Instead he swallows it, seething when he sees Hyunwoo and Hoseok walking side by side, laughing about something their dance instructor had said in class, feeling like the odd one out again, the feeling of being left out washes through him over and over.

He hates it so much; Hyunwoo is _his_ best friend and Shin Hoseok is just hovering around him like a fly he can’t swat, saying something funny, something interesting, listening to Hyunwoo talk about something else, smiles like he’s just won the lottery, showing his gums and perfect teeth.

It’s so infuriating to even watch, but Minhyuk cannot just squeeze his way in between the both of them (believe me, he’s tried) when they’re so absorbed in conversation, when Hoseok is smirking, like he has something up his sleeve, like he’s trying to _steal_ Hyunwoo away.

The reason why he recognises it is because he’s felt this for as long as Hoseok turned up in his life, but he doesn’t understand it because on top of the familiar frustration, he somehow feels a pinch whenever Hyunwoo initiates any form of intimacy, almost like he _wants_ it, like he _seeks_ to be closer to Hoseok.

Who the hell cares if you are really interested in that dance team and want to see them live, Son Hyunwoo? No one cares. Stop talking to Hoseok.

*****

Minhyuk is snapping at Hyunwoo more often lately, so much so that Hyunwoo, who now has an alternative escape known as Shin Hoseok, chooses to move further away from him and closer to Hoseok, which pisses him off even more.

It’s just not fucking fair when they’re having a good time, acting like best friends, sharing similar interests, break out into dance moves and talking about things only the both of them understand, and Minhyuk is here, fuming, reading up on Wikipedia pages about dance genres and watching YouTube videos of dance crews that he never used to care about, no matter how much Hyunwoo talks about them.

It frustrates him further because he’s slowly starting to realise that all the weaknesses he claims Hoseok has are just untrue, and the man is kind of amazing in his own way, with how hardworking he is, how passionate he is about dancing and song composition, how he seems to have his life together, how he’s somehow getting a line of suitors, girls and boys who buy tickets just to see him dance.

Today Hyunwoo is off for some extra dance practice and Minhyuk really dislikes Hoseok, but he dislikes the idea of eating lunch alone even more, so Hoseok is slightly surprised when Minhyuk’s text comes in.

**_From: Satan Lee Minhyuk_ **

_u comin to cafe?_

 

**_From: Agent from Hell Shin HS_ **

_hyunwoo is at extra dance practice_

 

**_From: Satan Lee Minhyuk_ **

_i kno. do u not need to eat?_

_or are u guys now conjoined twins?_

 

**_From: Agent from Hell Shin HS_ **

_u want to have lunch w me?_

_like. just? me?_

 

**_From: Satan Lee Minhyuk_ **

_i dont like eating alone_

 

**_From: Agent from Hell Shin HS_ **

_wat r u gonna do if i say no_

 

**_From: Satan Lee Minhyuk_ **

_eat alone on the rooftop or smth_

_starve_

_idk_

 

**_From: Agent from Hell Shin HS_ **

_just how much do u hate eating alone_

 

**_From: Satan Lee Minhyuk_ **

_enough to be ok w having lunch w you_

_  
_ **_From: Agent from Hell Shin HS_ **

_is this how u ask someone for a favour?_

 

**_From: Satan Lee Minhyuk_ **

_not a favour_

_i jus asked if u were coming to the cafe_

_didnt force u to have lunch w me_

_dont think so highly of urself_

_  
_ _**From: Agent from Hell Shin HS** _

_lets have lunch at the rooftop then_

 

**_From: Satan Lee Minhyuk_ **

_ok_

_i’ll be there at 2_

_  
_ **_From: Agent from Hell Shin HS_ **

_k_

 

Hoseok turns up looking like he’s had an extremely intense dance lesson because he’s drenched in his own perspiration and Minhyuk pretends like he doesn’t see him coming, even if the door to the rooftop slams resoundingly.

“Hey.” Hoseok says, fringe plastered on his forehead, flashing a grin Minhyuk’s way, and Minhyuk’s suddenly annoyed again, even though he would be lying if he said he wasn’t looking forward to having lunch with Hoseok.

“This is just lunch. We’re not chums now,” Minhyuk says, reminding Hoseok a little of something Minhyuk would be saying to his one-night stand, and he snickers, which ticks Minhyuk off even more.

“It’s not funny.”

“Who stepped on Your Highness’ tail today?” Hoseok frowns, plops himself on the space next to Minhyuk, unnecessarily close considering they have the whole ground to themselves.

Minhyuk scowls, grabs a salad he’s bought ‘on the way’ and drops it into Hoseok’s lap, the older boy looking at him in surprise, dumbfounded.

“It was just a side they served. I don’t want it,” Minhyuk states, tipping his chin towards the salad that just so happens to be the one Hoseok had gushed about endlessly since the first time he’s tried it.

“A side they served with a egg sandwich?” He points at Minhyuk’s lunch and raises both eyebrows. “They’re from different stores.”

Minhyuk feels the familiar sense of embarrassment crawl up his face in the form of a blush and he stuffs the sandwich into his mouth, needing an excuse to silence himself, and hopefully Hoseok.

“Shut up and eat it.”

Hoseok guffaws, eyes turning into perfect crescents as he nods, doesn’t question it further, and digs into the salad, leaving his prep meal aside.

“Hyunwoo’s been really busy with dance lately,” Hoseok pipes up, Minhyuk throwing an annoyed glance at him. He really doesn’t need to hear about Hyunwoo right now.

“Wouldn’t know; he doesn’t hang out much anymore.”

Hoseok sighs, puts the plastic fork down for a moment. “You’re always in a bad mood around him lately. He knows you long enough to know that he’s the one pissing you off, but he doesn’t know why.”

“And he’s decided to get you to be the middleman?”

Hoseok frowns. “He’s _busy_. He would love to sit down and talk to you about stuff that’s bothering you but he has a life outside of dealing with you.”

Minhyuk seethes. “I’m not a _thing_ he has to _deal with_ in his life alongside his other commitments.”

A sigh, but there are thorns in his voice. “Then why not just make life easier for him and stop being difficult?”

Minhyuk doesn’t like to shriek, but he does, anyway. “And what do _you_ know about my friendship with Hyunwoo?” Stands up, furious, ready to swing his fists if the need surfaces.

Hoseok is levelling with him, gets up on his feet, the volume of his voice increasing. “Not much, but I know you’re being an asshole by leaving him in the dark and being mad at him without telling him what the problem is.”

Minhyuk is irate. “That’s because he pisses me off so much! And I can only think of mean things to say when I see him!”

Hoseok returns the favour, anger boiling from within, thinking this really is between Minhyuk and Hyunwoo but feels like a victim with the way Minhyuk is hollering at him. “Why are you yelling at me anyway!”

“Because I’m angry!”

“About what?!”

“About you and your dumb face and dumb muscles and your dumbass smile, or how your dumb eyes disappear when you laugh, how your dumb laughter sounds like a player that’s stuck on its tape, how you seem to be dumbly good at fucking everything, and how every other person is so dumb to think you’re nice, cute, funny, attractive, because it’s dumb! You’re dumb!”

Hoseok is ready to bite back with another insult, but he can’t, because dumb no longer sounds like a word, and Minhyuk looks like someone’s just inflated him with hot air, and he’s about to blow. Minhyuk is glaring, but it’s not intimidating to say the least, just looking like a puppy practising his growl, his teeth gnashing, bark louder than his bite.

“You’re being fucking ridiculous!”

“No, _you_ are! I’m so mad at you! Why do you always have to make me so angry!”

“The anger is yours! I can’t do shit if you’d just calm your stupid ass down!”

“I’m so mad I could punch you!”

“You couldn’t even if you tried!”

And Minhyuk swings, his fleshless arm slicing through air as Hoseok dodges.

“Are you fucking serious right now!”

“I told you, I’m so fucking mad at you!”

“I’m mad too!”

“Come at me then!” Minhyuk challenges, and he knows his frail frame wouldn’t stand a chance against Hoseok’s bulky arms, but he puffs out his chest in faux confidence anyway, his gaze _daring_ Hoseok to give it a go.

“Come on, then! What are you, a wimp?”

Hoseok’s eyes are blazing fire, and Minhyuk smirks at how he’s managed to rile him up so easily. “Chicken?”

And it goes, Hoseok’s fist flying through the air, Minhyuk realising that it’s coming his way too quickly for him to dodge, and he squeezes his eyes tight, bracing himself for the blow. Maybe he’ll die under his hands, maybe finally Hoseok will go to prison for manslaughter.

The blow comes in the form of soft, warm hands on both sides of his cheeks, and then a pair of lips on his, gentle, quiet, unexpected.

Minhyuk’s eyes fly open and Hoseok is kissing him, the older boy’s eyes closed, his features are soft up close. Minhyuk doesn’t breathe or react for a good three seconds from mere shock, but by the time he realises what’s going on, Hoseok is pulling away.

Hoseok is catching his breath, from the intense shouting match or the kiss, he doesn’t know, but his cheeks are pink and Minhyuk reflects the pink in his own cheeks, eyes fluttering open and close hesitantly, long lashes distracting.

“You like me, you dumbass!” Hoseok half-screams in conclusion, not a question, just a statement, telling Minhyuk what he should be feeling because Minhyuk doesn’t know.

Minhyuk doesn’t know how to argue a valid point, because for once he realises Hoseok is right, and he doesn’t like that. He places his fingertips on his lips, remembering how warm and soft that felt, listens to how his heart is racing, feels the desperate need to kiss him again, wants to touch his stupid face, card his fingers through his dishevelled hair, and decides that he definitely _hates_ it when Shin Hoseok’s right.

**Author's Note:**

> I genuinely promise this had so much more potential and was better and more fun in my brain but when I started to write it I knew it was like word blabber and nothing makes sense and this is so much worse than tuesdays with florists but it's a lot of words to rewrite (read: i did not try it was too much effort) and so this is what it is! The ending is super abrupt also because I'm tired and I don't think I could do anything more and I'll see if I'll write about them again in another snippet if people like this pairing enough but! yes!
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated! This series may just continue with domestic showki but tbh I feel so uneasy writing anything that isn't angst *grits teeth*


End file.
